Glenn Grothman: “Recently, if you look at the CDC numbers, we hit an all-time record in drug overdoses for a 12-month period at 90,000.…”

“Recently, if you look at the CDC numbers, we hit an all-time record in drug overdoses for a 12-month period at 90,000. That is up from 45,000 only 6 years ago. There are two dangerous trends that are going the exact opposite way than you would think, if we care about the people who died and their families. First of all, because of the antipolice hysteria out there, the number of police are being reduced; and for that reason, at least in my area, they are no longer doing criminal investigations in some cities when there are drug overdoses. Secondly, I think the major reason for the massive increase in deaths is the increase in fentanyl deaths--fentanyl being actually much more dangerous than heroin. We now have this happening at a time when the Border Patrol is being pulled off the border to process unaccompanied minors and we have the horrible situation of not even increasing the budget of the Border Patrol. Mr. Speaker, if we care about the 90,000 people who die every year of drug overdoses, it is time to start caring a little bit more about the border and care a little bit more about the number of police we have in our country. ____________________”